Presidents: Dead, drunk and wannabe

It’s a big news days for the guys — yes, guys — who are in charge, who want to be in charge, and who are really in charge.

McCain’s Veep & great television

Sen. John McCain will pick his vice-president this morning. All of the likely names for McCain’s vice president are scattered around the country, according to reporting on live television this morning. The usual suspects, as well as some unusual names, were vetted in public, on live television, as reporters checked their Blackberrys and made phone calls to sources on the air.

UPDATE: Word is firming up that Palin, in fact, will be the choice.

Iowa college president fired

Robert Paxton is now the former president of Iowa Central Community College after he was photographed pouring beer down a younger woman’s throat. The scene was a boat, on a lake, on a sunny day. The school’s board of trustees canned him yesterday.

I think they should’ve given Paxton a raise. The guy is trying to connect with students.Most college administrators are distant and stand-offish. They sit in imperial offices. They dine at the faculty club. They don’t interact with students except during photo ops. Given all of that, Paxton is da man.

Obama accepts

The Speech arrived last night at Mile High Stadium. Pundits say it was Sen. Barack Obama’s best — less on poetry, more on kicks to McCain’s junk. After the snoozing campaigns of Michael* Dukakis, John Kerry and Al Gore, Democrats appear to be ready to fight.

The speech we all want to hear

Political satire has a new definition. Wall Street Journal columnist and former Bush presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan, on MSNBC this morning, responded to Pat Buchanan’s assessment that Obama gave a “manly” speech, and talked about the typical tear-jerker anecdotes used by Democratic candidates:

“My way of saying it would be it’s not a sissy speech. It’s not that kind of usual ‘(moans) Oh, the poor child born with two heads, and no medical insurance, and they’re using him as a bowling ball.’ I’m sorry. But you know the terrible things they say (in those speeches). Everybody is sick in their world. I’m sorry. Everybody’s an unwed, single mother whose feet are exploding. And they don’t exactly feel like they’re part of America, guys.”

His Royal Presidency Has Something to Say

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev sounded off — three weeks late, I might add — on the Russian invasion of Georgia. Russia, he said, should’ve gone farther. And Russia showed restraint. And the U.S. was behind it all. Way to go, Ilhaim.

Perez Hilton homage of the day

The goofball blogger marks up photos with Liquid Paper. He gets 8 million page views a month. I want 8 million page views, too. So I grabbed this map off the Web in honor of the president of Azerbaijan….